Thursday, March 8, 2018

Ryan Buckholtz, a player from Studio City, Los Angeles, won his first WSOP Circuit gold ring last night after dominating performance at the final table of a two-day $365 No-Limit Hold’em tournament that took place as part of the series’ Bicycle Casino stop.

Buckholtz bested a field of 118 entries to capture his first piece of WSOP Circuit jewelry. He scooped a $10,615 share of the $35,400 prize pool, as well.

Of all 118 participants who registered for the tournament, there were only four left at the end of Day 1. Buckholtz led the remaining survivors, holding a commanding chip lead over his fellow players. The eventual champion bagged and tagged 607,000 Tuesday night. The player had more chips than all other three participants together.

Day 2 of the tournament was played on Wednesday at the host venue, The Bicycle Casino in the Los Angeles area. The four players kicked off action at 1 pm. Buckholtz never let go of his chip lead and bulldozed his way to the title to eventually remain the last man standing after only an hour and a half of play and a quick heads-up battle against Shawn Walker, another local player.

The $365 No-Limit Hold’em Buckholtz took down was the third event on the schedule of the WSOP Circuit’s Bicycle Casino stop. This means that there are nine more gold ring up for grabs at the host venue. The popular Bell Gardens casino will host Circuit events through March 14. The stop’s $1,675 Main Event is slated to begin on March 10 and to run through March 13 when the final table will be played and a winner will be determined. Players will also have the chance to take part in a $3,250 High Roller, the highest buy-in tournament on the schedule.

Road to First WSOP Circuit Victory

Buckholtz made ten in-the-money finishes in previous WSOP Circuit events. A third-place finish in a No-Limit Hold’em event in 2012 at the Bicycle Casino was the closest he came to winning a title and jewelry piece from the series. Until last night.

Including last night’s payout, the player now has more than $55,000 in earnings from the series. Here it is also important to note that Buckholtz has also participated actively in WSOP tournaments over the year. He has cashed in 13 such events, with his winnings from the popular poker series totaling $84,642.

The player’s total live tournament earnings currently amount to over $550,000. He collected his largest live cash in 2011 when he finished runner-up to Ryan Goindoo in the California State Poker Championship $2,575 Main Event. Here it is important to note that as a California resident, the player has been really active on his home state’s poker scene and most of his live tournament earnings have come mainly from tournaments to have taken place within California.